Macklin made his return to the ring for the first time since that disastrous night in Dublin where he was stopped by Jorge Sebastian Heiland.

After taking time to think about his future, ‘Mack the Knife’ opted to give it another go after deeming it over-training rather than the natural end of his career, and he sensibly didn’t want to leave any doubts before calling it quits.

Based on his work in the gym and this performance, he will now be targeting another big fight later in the year as hopes to secure a title shot in a strong middleweight division.

Luke Campbell vs Aboubeker Bechelaghem

Campbell remains on course for a Hull showdown with Tommy Coyle this summer after making short work of Bechelaghem, although the pair did trade shots for the opening few rounds.

However, as soon as the 27-year-old found an opening and landing a big shot, he finished with great power and precision to claim an impressive stoppage win.

It remains to be seen where promoter Eddie Hearn takes him next, but it is clear that the fight with Coyle is top of the list.

Callum Smith vs Olegs Fedotovs

Smith moved to 16-0 with a demolition job on Fedotovs in a first round stoppage win. Inactivity had been a worry for ‘Mundo’, but he showed no signs of rust as he caught his opponent and dropped him within minutes.

Fedotovs didn’t last much longer as Smith moved in to finish him off to protect his unbeaten record. Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed after the fight that he will take on Christopher Rebrasse next for the WBC super-middleweight silver title in Liverpool on June 26, with a possible fight against the winner of Badou Jack vs George Groves further down the line.